Chapter 7: Communication and Emotion. Chapter Summary. Emotional language
and emotional communication are inevitable in our daily interactions. Emotion ...
Chapter 7: Communication and Emotion Chapter Summary Emotional language and emotional communication are inevitable in our daily interactions. Emotion, a complex term, is the critical internal structure that orients us to what matters in our lives, our feelings about ourselves and others. Emotion relates to the affective, or feeling tone, of our experiences. Two systems of categorization allow us to classify specific emotions based on their attributes. One system uses positive-negative (valence) and active-passive dimensions and one classifies emotions according to their intensity. Although these classification schemes treat emotions as separate states, people often experience more than one emotion at once. Western thought encourages dualistic thinking, which prompts us to see the mind and body as separate and emotion as separate from reasoning. However, such thinking is fallacious because emotion, reason, and physiology are interconnected. To add to the complexity of emotion, meta-emotion, or how people feel about expressing certain emotions, influences people's interactions. The biological theory of emotion, based mainly on Darwin's ideas, states that emotions are related to instinct and are universal. This view places emphasis on observable emotional expressions, or "gestures" of emotion. On the other hand, the social theory of emotion, attributed to Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills, states that the social situation, as well as biology, affects the experience of emotion. This view studies how the reactions of others to our gestures help us define our feelings. People often use metaphors to talk about emotion, many of which make it seem as if emotional forces are beyond our control. Tools for emotional communication include facial expressions, vocal cues, gestures, and verbal cutes. Culture, gender, and context are three of the many factors that influence emotional communication. Emotional communication has a dark side and a bright side, which often overlap. Becoming competent in emotional communication requires practicing the following techniques: knowing your feelings, analyzing the situation, owning your feelings, reframing when needed, and empathizing. Emotional communication is a complex activity that involves sensitivity, awareness, insight, and empathy. Just like any proficiency, emotional communication requires patience and persistence, but the rewards are worth the effort.
